Picnic

An Introduction to Weaving

I've seen some amazing weaving lately and it has me thinking that a weaving class needs to be in my future.  The obsession started with a stop at Driftwood in Moss Landing where I saw the most beautiful wall hanging.  I wrote about it in this post.

This past weekend, we stumbled upon the Golden Gate Weavers Guild exhibit at The Nature Center at Little Farm. 

 I loved this weaving made from recycled newspaper bags (above) and the one below made of string and straw (below).

Golden Gate Weavers Guild meets on the third Monday of the month at North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst St. Berkeley from 9:30 – noon.  Maybe I will see you there.?

 

Necklaces for the Teachers

We have had the most amazing teachers this year and I wanted to thank them with a handmade gift, my favorite kind, at the end of the school year.

Necklace How-To

Supplies:  vinyl disc beads in an assortment of colors, thin gold chain link (small enough to fit through the holes in the beads), 2 gold jump rings (small enough to fit through the chain link), 1 gold clasp, 2 pairs of needle nose pliers, and 1 pair of wire cutters.

1.  String as many vinyl beads as you want onto the gold chain.  You may choose 8 inches of beads or just two, it's totally up to you.

2.  Standing in front a mirror, decide the length of the chain you'd like.

3.  Cut the chain with the wire cutters.

4.  Open one of the jump rings using the pliers and attach to the end of the chain.  To open the jump ring, twist open, do not pull apart or it may break.

5.  Open the second jump ring and attach to the other end of the chain and include the clasp to that end as well before closing up the ring.

 

For packaging... I decorated some kraft boxes with my kid's paint set.

Cool Bunders

I had Bijou potty trained by 2-1/2 but have been dragging my feet when it comes to Eero and Wilder.  It's hard to see the fun in potty training twin boys.  However, with Doug leaving his job in a couple months we will both be jobless so the $250 saving each month will certainly make a difference.  On an even more important note,  neither boy can start preschool at the Maternelle in France if they aren't potty trained.  Preschool vs. having them home will make a HUGE difference in our own year-abroad experience.  Now we are motivated.

I bought some white training pants from Diapers.com and came up with a simple design to stencil onto the back using my tried and true freezer paper technique.

Supplies: white training pants, acrylic paint, freezer paper, xacto knife, paint brush, iron.

Instructions can be found in this post.

{Bribery in a jar}

Trader Joe's jelly beans.

Eero pitched a fit when I offered him a jelly bean after he used the potty because it was apparently a disapointing treat for his efforts.  Wilder on the other hand, popped it in his mouth, said, "mmmm, yummy.  Thank you Mommy."

Oh boy, these two could not be more different.  Although, I love them just the same.

I stocked up on literature to prepare them for this adventure.  Their favorite (and mine) is this sick and twisted book called, Even Firefighters use the Potty.

Wish us luck!  In the 3 hour period we dedicated to this yesterday, I had to change 3 pee-pee accidents and 1 poo-poo accident (NOT COOL). We also had two successful pees in the potty and one 20 minutes session of sitting on the potty with nothing except an A for Effort.

A Groovy Shift Dress

I apologize for the infrequent blog posts last week and this week.  My kids ended up having non-simultaneous spring breaks so I have been back and forth between out of town adventures and home and haven't found any time to sit down at the computer to blog.  Today, is the most beautiful pool-weather day so I thought it would be a perfect time to share this sweet little shift dress I made for Bijou a few weeks ago.  The pattern was so simple and perfect for beginners.  I made it even simpler by skipping the lining layer and the small cap sleeves.  It didn't take away from the cute style, kept it lighter for warm weather and was able to be constructed in less than an hour.  My kind of sewing project!

The pattern came from Carefree Clothes for Girls.  You can purchase the book here.

 

A Heart Pillow

We desperately needed new pillows for our cabin.  I was up there a few weeks ago for a girl's ski trip and did a little sprucing up.  For the most part, renting out the cabin to strangers for short term stays while we aren't there has been great!  My only pet peeve is when it comes to the linens in the house that don't get cleaned regularly as part of the end-of-week cleaning service.  I always feel the urge to pull the quilts off the bed before climbing in.  I also noticed that the throw pillows in the living room looked super filthy and rather than bother to try and spot clean the Ikea cases, I decided to make a few quality cases on my own.

With some linen and black acrylic paint, I made this J.Crew inspired pillow using a freezer-paper printing technique.  You can find instructions for this printing method in this post.

Pendleton Pillows

Oh my, it was an exciting day at the fabric store when I came across these delicious Pendleton wools.  Desperate for a need to buy them, I reminded myself that our cabin needed a few new accent pieces in the living room to make the space cozy.  These textiles would be perfect for the long winters.  I justified the steep price by only buying a half yard of each, which proved to be enough for 3 new pillows.

To Make:

Measure your pillow and cut 2 rectangles out of the fabric, taking into account the placement of the pattern and adding a 1/2" seam allowance to all four sides.

With the right sides of your fabric together, sew along 3 sides of your rectangle leaving one of the longer sides open.  

Turn right side out and stuff your pillow inside.

Using a running catch stitch, close up your pillow.  A video tutorial can be seen here.

Mini Envelopes

We seem to experience birthday party seasons in our household with many of Bijou's friend's birthdays landing in the fall and the boy's friend's birthdays landing in the spring.  With a handful of gifts to wrap, I thought I'd try out this mini envelope tutorial I saw over on one of my favorite DIY blogs, Poppytalk.  The tutorial for these adorable little envelopes, sure to sweeten any package, can be found here.

I used a pack of origami paper I had laying around my studio but I love her idea to use an old map, calendar or pages from a magazine.

Building a Light Box

The key to a successful Etsy shop is to have good product photos.  My own Etsy shop has been neglected for months, but I have a few ideas for some summer-inspired goods I'd like to execute.  First step, building a light box...

I found a wonderful and easy tutorial over on Pinterest via Flax & Twine.  How-To instructions can be found here.

These two photos were taken in the exact same spot in my house in the bleak morning light that is filtered through our oak trees and comes in the window.  What a difference a light box can make!

 

Instagram + Ink

I bought this sweet set of Polaroid note cards from Chronicle Books and it got me thinking... "why not make them more personal and make my own?"

To Make:

1.  Print your favorite Instagram photos.

2.  Use double-sided tape to stick your photos onto the cards.  I chose these craft paper cards from Jo-Ann's.

3.  Using white ink and a dip pen write in a few sentiments.

You'll never have to spend money on cards again!

Calligraphy Class

I'm pumping up my list of creative skills before our year abroad and what may very well be a year of solitude for me.  The French class has been very overwhelming and to be honest is not going very well.  So in preparation for a year of possibly no friends (unless of course I find a few English speakers in the rural countryside) I am adding to my list of hobbies to keep me occupied.

Makeshift Society in San Francisco opened it's doors last fall and offers a range of DIY classes.  I signed myself up for the calligraphy course taught by this lovely woman.  I'm eager to practice and send home some lovely handwritten notes about our adventures.

I have to say, the art of calligraphy is much harder than I expected.  I totally cheated when I made the above Valentines for the boy's teachers.

I'm still figuring it out. One minute, things may be going along beautifully.  The next, you dip into a bit too much ink or use a bit too much pressure causing splatters.

All and all, I'm learning that the expense of a professional calligrapher for those wedding invitations, is probably worth every penny ;)